(a) Any violation of this Chapter, unless expressly specified otherwise, is a class A violation.
(b) If enforcing this Chapter requires the County to initiate criminal or civil proceedings, the County Attorney must initiate those proceedings after receiving a referral from the Commission or the Department. After the Commission or the Department has referred a matter to the County Attorney, the County Attorney must initiate appropriate legal action, as provided under this Chapter or any other applicable law, against any person that the Commission or the Department finds to be in violation. However, if the County Attorney believes that additional information or action by the Commission or the Department is necessary to enable the County Attorney to take appropriate action, the County Attorney may refer the matter back to the Commission or the Department. Nothing in this Chapter limits the authority of the County Attorney to initiate prosecution or bring a civil action for violation of any County law or regulation whether or not the Commission or the Department has noted a violation of this Chapter. (1972 L.M.C., ch. 27, § 1; 2000 L.M.C., ch. 32, § 1.)